


home is where the heart is

by shiftingslightly



Series: the home 'verse [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drunk Alexander Hamilton, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Flirting, First Dates, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:15:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29015703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiftingslightly/pseuds/shiftingslightly
Summary: Alex, drunk off his ass, confesses something. Usually it leads to trouble. This time it leads, surprisingly, to good. Dates are good.
Relationships: Alexander Hamilton/James Madison, Alexander Hamilton/Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton/Thomas Jefferson/James Madison, Thomas Jefferson/James Madison (Pre-Established)
Series: the home 'verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2132517
Comments: 9
Kudos: 53





	home is where the heart is

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on wings of privilege, I promise! In the meantime, have this. I actually sort of edited it this time.

Thomas sighed. He’d gone to the bar to relax, not to deal with his very inebriated coworker, but here he was, standing outside with a drunk Alexander Hamilton leaning on him. “Come on,” he said, “let’s get you home.” 

“Home is where the heart is,” Alexander muttered. Thomas just shook his head. 

“Well, where do you sleep at night, then?” Alexander ignored him. “You’re my home,” he mumbled, so quiet Thomas almost didn't hear it. Almost.

Thomas froze. 

“You’re drunk,” he said, more to himself than to Alex. No. Alex didn’t mean it that way. Besides, James was waiting for him at home, loyal like he’d always been. And yet here Thomas was, hoping Alex did mean it that way. 

After some prodding and a lot of incoherent nonsense on Alex’s part, it became clear that he was in no state to give his address. So Thomas hauled him into the backseat of his car and set the route to his and James’ flat, sighing and shifting into his seat as the automated voice said _Route set to Home. Estimated time of arrival ten minutes_. The car rumbled softly as they pulled away from the curb.

As blurred lights flashed by the windows, beacons among the general darkness of the night, Alex was silent, seemingly thinking. Thomas took this time to get his thoughts in order. He did love James, he really did. Truly. But _Alex._ Alex with his fiery passion, his never-ending energy, the way something inside him seemed to spark when he fought, the way his words flowed, powerful and moving, even though the power was often directed against him. It was a dilemma he never seemed to be able to solve. On the one hand, there was James, cool and collected, a steady presence always near him, quiet but strong in its own way. On the other hand, there was Alexander, whirlwind of fire and fury, always moving, always climbing towards something, leaving everyone in the dust. Except Thomas. Thomas could keep up. Thomas was the one who was challenging him constantly, pushing his limits, one foot on the ground next to James and the other chasing Alex. 

The light turned red and Thomas braked. It had started raining, and the windows were blurred with water, raindrops landing with a soft pattering sound on the car. “You’re in love,” Alex said suddenly.

“Well of course, I’ve always been in love with James,” he responded. _And Alex,_ a part of him shouted, and he gritted his teeth to keep that part quiet. Same as always.

The man in the backseat scrunched up his face.

“No, with me,” he said. 

“What-?” Thomas said, twisting in his seat to see the expression on his coworker's face.

Whatever had been there, it was gone now, replaced by his daydreaming expression. “Yeah,” Alex said, in his own world already. “Yeah, you love me. I mean, I wish.” 

“ _What?_ ” 

“Never mind,” Alex huffed, crossing his arms. On any other day, if it'd been any other words Alex was rescinding, Thomas would have rolled his eyes at the childish behaviour, but he was still stuck on “I wish”. What did he mean? He _wished_ Thomas loved him? _That's silly,_ he thought, _because I do love him_. Alex gave him a strange look, almost like he was scrutinizing him. “What?” Thomas asked. 

“The light’s turned.”

Thomas turned back in his seat to see that the light was, indeed, green. “Fuck!” The car started moving again.

“Mmmm, yes please,” Alex muttered, eyes closed sleepily. Thomas tried to ignore him and the mental images forming in his head, gripping the wheel tighter and staring determinedly at the road.

The harsh _swish-swish_ of the windshield wipers seemed to pierce the silence. Neither of them spoke. 

When they finally arrived at the flat, five minutes later, Thomas pulled an umbrella out of the car’s internal storage (silently thanking James for his constant refrain of ‘you never know’) and opened the door, going around to do the same for Alex. When it clicked open, Alex didn’t move, just sat there in his seat, quiet. Thomas sighed, climbing into the backseat and unbuckling Alex, prodding him a little bit. When he still didn’t move, he sighed again and picked him up, pulling him out and closing the door with his foot. Silently he worried about how easy it was to hold the small man in his arms, but he didn’t say anything, carrying him inside instead.

James, who had been sitting at the table inside, looked up immediately as the door swung open. “Thomas, who’s- is that Hamilton?” 

“Iss’ me,” Alex slurred, waving a floppy hand from Thomas’s bridal-style hold. Thomas moved, shutting the door behind him and dropping Alex on the couch. James, at the table, peered at him. “James!” Alex said, smiling and attempting to sit up at the sight of him. “Hi! Hello! It’s been a while, hasn't it. I miss you!”

James winced. “You do know it was you who screamed at me, told me I was betraying you by having other friends and then stormed off, right?”

Alexander’s face fell. “Oh. Yeah.” Then he waved a dismissive hand, brightening up again. “Ah well, doesn’t really matter anymore, does it?”

James, unimpressed, turned to Thomas. “Why is Hamilton here?”

Thomas gave him a guilty smile. “I mean… I went to the bar but he was drunk out of his mind and I couldn’t exactly leave him there?” James sighed, rubbing his forehead. “You absolutely could have left him there! You could have- I don’t know, called a taxi! Call Laurens, if you have to!” Thomas sat down next to him. “Look, I know I probably could have, but-” There was no “but”. He had no idea why he’d brought Alex home. Well, actually. Scratch that. He knew exactly why he’d brought him home. He just didn’t want to admit it, and certainly not to James, his _actual_ partner whom he was _committed_ to, who loved him. James just shook his head. “Well, okay, Tom,” he said, “what do you propose we do?” 

“Me!” Alexander piped up from the couch. 

James blushed. “What?” 

_Don't engage him,_ Thomas started to say, cringing, but Alex was already propping himself up, grinning. “Fuck me!” he said brightly. 

Thomas put his head in his hands. “Alex, just-”

“What?” Alex said, looking from Thomas to James. “You love me! You said so!” James did a double take, immediately turning to his boyfriend with wide eyes. “Thomas- I didn’t- I-”

Thomas cut him off, determinedly avoiding him. Truth be told, he'd thought Alex was talking to him. “Alexander. Stop. Now,” he said tersely, every muscle tense. 

“Whaaaaaaat?” Alex sing-songed, seemingly unaware of what he'd just done. “I’m drunk!”

James shook his head. “We have a guest room. You can stay there. Good night, Thomas.” Thomas watched him walk towards their room, leaving the door open behind him and disappearing inside. He sighed, looking at Alex and wondering if he was worth James’ disappointment. Alex just smiled, blissfully unaware as Thomas scooped him up and carried him into the guest room. 

~~~

The room is filled with pleasant natural light when Alexander wakes up, streaming in through the curtains and highlighting him where he lies on the bed. His hair is a mess, and he feels terrible, he notices, taking stock of the rest of his body. He blinks his eyes open slowly. He looks up and there stands Thomas, leaning against the doorframe in nothing but a tank top. “Er. Hi,” he says, voice a little broken from sleep. Thomas starts, as if he was caught doing something wrong. “Hey.” Alex blinks again, trying to chase away the fog that seems to weigh down his mind. “So, uh, what happened?” Thomas shifts uncomfortably. Something about his movement triggers a memory, snippets of lights and rain and the scent of Thomas flashing through his mind.

_You’re my home._

_You love me! You said so!_

_I mean, I wish._

Fuck. How much damage did he do? 

The answer is evident in Thomas’s uncomfortable expression. “Al- Hamilton, look, I-” He starts to say something, but seems to stop himself, deciding instead to tell him, “James made breakfast for all of us, so…” Alex nods, tells him he’ll be out in a minute, watches him go. Wonders what the hell he can do to fix this. He knows. He knows and he doesn’t like him. Stupid, stupid Alex. All those times his mind wandered, all the times he thought he saw something, all those times James gave him a tiny scrap of attention that he clung to, twisting it in his mind into something more…

_“I’m done!” Alex shouts. “I’m done dealing with your shit! Go- go fuck around with Jefferson for all I care!” James gives him a hurt look, but turns away silently and walks off. He was never one for direct confrontation._

_Alex watches him go, wondering what he just did._

_James walks into the room, following Jefferson in his gaudy magenta suit to a seat across the table, right across from him. It’s like they’re trying to distract him; James with his small smiles and kind eyes, Jefferson with his bright laugh and disarmingly handsome features._

_The meeting starts. Washington is talking about something; he knows it’s important, but he can’t tear his mind away from how Thomas’s arms would feel cradling him, James’ soft lips against his, the two of them cherishing him-_

_He manages to keep himself together for two weeks, until he rounds a corner and finds James pressed against Thomas, kissing like there’s no tomorrow._ So that’s it. This is how it ends, _he thinks, sinking down onto his knees in his office, head in his hands, sobbing. That’s it. He doesn’t stand a chance anymore. His competition is Thomas and his competition is James. How could he possibly expect one of them to choose him over the other, when they’re both so obviously perfect?_

James pokes his head around the doorway. “Alex? You coming?” Alexander nods numbly, dragging himself up stumbling towards the door. James catches him, and Alex resists the urge to wrap his arms around him and slot himself against James’ warm body. Instead, he pushes him away, leaning on the doorframe and waving James off, insisting he’ll be fine. He won’t be fine, not when he’s just revealed his hand and James will never look at him the way he desperately wishes he would, but he can be alive, at least.

When he enters the main room, he finds Thomas and James sitting at the table, laughing at something he didn’t catch. It’s such a domestic scene and he feels his chest tighten at their familiarity. He and James had that once. Before he can sneak out the door, Thomas notices him and waves him over. “Alex! Glad you finally decided to join us.” Alex draws a chair and sits, staring determinedly down at his scrambled eggs. Maybe if he pretends this didn’t happen, if he ignores them-

“Alexander Hamilton, you are _not_ ignoring us like a child,” James chides. Alex huffs. 

“What. What is it,” he snaps childishly. 

“Well, you said some things yesterday,” James starts, choosing to ignore that, his tone stiff and professional. “We’d rather like it if they were true.” 

“M-hm,” Alex mutters sarcastically. Then his head snaps up as he seems to process the words. “Wait, what?” 

“What he _means,_ ” Thomas cuts in, “is that James has been pining hopelessly for you for a while and he dragged me into it too and he wants you to like him back.” James shoots him a look, muttering something that sounds suspiciously like “I literally admitted I liked him last night”. Alex just stares at the two of them. “Wait. So. You- you want- me?” 

“Well, yes, that’s the general idea,” Thomas says dryly. Alex nods slowly. 

“Okay. And. Uh. What about- you guys’s relationship?” His eloquence seems to have lost him, Thomas notices, making a mental note to tease him about “you guys’s” later. 

“We were thinking, if you’d like, you could join our pre-existing relationship,” James says. Unlike Alexander, he seems to gain eloquence in awkward or new situations, making him sound awfully like a lawyer. Alex seems to be thinking it over in his chair. 

“I- well, okay, I guess? It’s just, like, a lot? I don’t really- I didn’t expect this,” he says, quickly adding, “it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that it’s all a lot to take in, I do like you guys, I really do, it’s just it’s a bit much a bit too suddenly.” 

“That’s okay,” Thomas says. “We can take it slower. Start with a date or something.” Now in more comfortable territory, Alex smirks. “Better be something good, prettyboy, or I’m dumping your ass.” 

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. In hindsight, he probably should have recognized that Thomas would have absolutely taken that as a challenge, he thinks, staring openmouthed at the honest-to-god _Ferrari_ that Thomas pulled up in. Said man just grins at him. “C’mon, Hamilton,” he says. “Get in.” 

As Alex pulls the door shut, James glances worriedly at him from the passenger seat. “Are you alright? I told Thomas it was too much but he wouldn’t listen-” 

“I’m fine,” Alex says. “Just- wow.” Thomas smirks, that devastatingly handsome, arrogant expression that Alex goes crazy for. “This fit your definition of ‘something good?’” 

“I dunno,” he says fake-casually. “I don’t even know where we’re going.” 

“Well, you won’t for a while,” James interjects. “We’ve got a long drive, about forty-five minutes, so buckle up.” 

Forty-five minutes and one date at the pier later, Alexander stands back on his doorsteps, thoroughly tired and happy. Thomas and James insist on walking him to his door, and so there he stands, leaning against Thomas, whose fingers are running through his hair. “Goodnight, Alex,” James says, though he makes no move to go. Alex makes a muffled sound of protest against Thomas’s chest. Thomas laughs. “You have to get to bed, Lex, it’s late,” he says, and Alex can feel the vibrations in his chest. He makes another muffled sound. 

“M’ tired,” he mumbles, pressing his key into James’ hand. “You guys can put me to bed.”

“Alright then,” Thomas says, picking him up as James unlocks the door. It’s dark, and the crickets are chirping, audible even after they enter and shut the door behind them. Alex directs Thomas to his bedroom, and Thomas sets him down gently on the bed. “‘Night,” Alex mutters sleepily. James smiles. “Goodnight, Alexander,” he says. “Goodnight,” Thomas adds. Alexander is already fast asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> what'd you think? comments? PLEASE? they fuel my soul and I love them and treasure them and i'm begging you PLEASE leave a comment


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